EVIL~! alkeiper

OPS+ shouldn't be affected by the DH. If anything, it makes the OPS more impressive because it's compared to a higher league average. Offense: Clear advantage for Boston. Starting Pitching: Josh Beckett is the best starter on either side. Colorado has the advantage of depth, with four competent starters ready to go and a fifth sitting in the bullpen. Relief Pitching: Even. Red Sox have Papelbon, Rockies have Manuel Corpas. The Red Sox' lefty reliever is Hideki Okajima, while the Rockies have Brian Fuentes. The X factor is what Franklin Morales does to the Rockies bullpen. He throws mid-90s and was one of the top pitching prospects coming into this season. Defense: I worry about Boston. Manny Ramirez is not the kind of player you want patrolling the Coors outfield. And if they play Ortiz, they'll sacrifice defense there. The Sox have excellent defense at third, shortstop and center field. The Rockies are excellent at short, center, right and first base. I think the Rockies have the edge here. How else did their pitchers perform so well across the board? This factor is even in Fenway Park, advantage Rockies in Coors. Manager: I personally think Clint Hurdle plays too much smallball for Coors Field. Otherwise no opinion. One note on this series, these two teams play in the most extreme parks of their leagues. Home field advantage is very important.

Well yeah, that's kind of how it works. How can you not retire if you don't get an offer? Cliff Floyd had a nice OBP last season but the warning signs of age are there. For $3 million though, I would absolutely consider Floyd as a fourth outfielder.

The problem isn't that most of the voters think Jeter is the best defender. It's that there hasn't been a solid candidate for the anti-Jeter crowd to rally around. John McDonald is clearly better but will voters recognize him? Jeter is almost certainly going to win his fourth gold glove this season. The Yankee fans will respond that you need to see Jeter play every day. The problem is that if you watch Jeter every day, you haven't taken the time to see what a shortstop is supposed to field like.

Well he's writing about a career highlight match. I'm sure he's had times where he walked to the back and Pat Patterson said, "jesus christ kid, what the fuck was that?" But if you're writing an autobiography, are you going to be eager to include those details?

In preparation, ten facts about the Colorado Rockies. 1. Todd Helton is the highest paid player in the National League. His .332 career batting average is second only to Ichiro Suzuki among active players. 2. The Rockies' offense looks strong because of their home environment. In reality, the team's strength is in their pitching and defense. 3. The Rockies' relief core is particularly strong, with Manuel Corpas earning strong marks as a future elite closer. Jorge Julio got his act together, posting a 3.93 ERA with the Rockies. The Rockies also have two strong lefties in Brian Fuentes and Jeremy Affeldt sitting in the 'pen. 4. The Rockies' four starters are Jeff Francis, Ubaldo Jimenez, Josh Fogg and Aaron Cook. Cook's career ERA with the Rockies in a six-year career is 4.47. He is an extreme groundball pitcher. 5. More importantly, this places Franklin Morales in the bullpen. Morales struck out 462 batters in 428 minor league innings, and is only 21 years old. 6. Matt Holliday is the likely MVP of the National League. 7. Brad Hawpe has the best throwing arm in baseball, reputed as better than even Shane Victorino. 8. Particularly good on defense are shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and Willy Taveras. Unlike Juan Pierre, Taveras carried a respectable OBP this season. Todd Helton has multiple gold glove awards to his credit. 9. The Rockies led the league in attendance their first seven years. Their mark of 4,483,350 total attendance in 1993 is an MLB record. The next year their per-game attendance of 56,094 is a record as well. 10. Park effects in Coors Field have come down, perhaps as a result of the humidor. It is still however the most hitter friendly ballpark in the Majors.

He never had tremendous matches. He had good ones, because he had a good sense of timing and psychology and did not blow many spots. His talent lay in his interviews, and there is a lesson in that.

It's like a shopper's club card. It comes with some perks but since I'm not part of the gambling community I couldn't tell you what they are. Frequent gambling miles or something. In return they get your name, address and a record of your gambling habits. Presumably this information is then passed along to the world of organized crime.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VLMb_a4KfiI" target="_blank">http://youtube.com/watch?v=VLMb_a4KfiI Abdullah the Butcher vs. Zeus

Can someone give a brief primer on posting videos in this fashion?

He would've. Roberts was such a natural performer that he would've been a success regardless. Honestly, for a guy criticized as much as him for not making the most of his talent, he did put together a 20 year career.

You've always got the Grahams as an example.

Sam Houston wasn't just some random shlub. He was Jake Roberts' half-brother.

Surprised I haven't seen this mentioned yet. The Colorado Rockies attempted to sell their World Series tickets online but their website crashed. The team still hasn't announced a plan to sell the tickets yet. It boggles me why it's taken the Rockies this long to attempt it in the first place considering the Phillies had a lottery system in place weeks ago. Right now $750 can get you into the Rockpile for game three. This series is going to be HUGE in Denver, I guarantee you.

One thread for both as I doubt Colorado/Arizona will generate much discussion. Series begins Thursday Game Matchup Day Date Time ET TV Gm 1 COL @ ARI Thu Oct. 11 8:30 pm TBS Gm 2 COL @ ARI Fri Oct. 12 10 pm TBS Gm 3 ARI @ COL Sun Oct. 14 8:30 pm TBS Gm 4 ARI @ COL Mon Oct. 15 10 pm TBS Gm 5* ARI @ COL Wed Oct. 17 8:30 pm TBS Gm 6* COL @ ARI Fri Oct. 19 8:30 pm TBS Gm 7* COL @ ARI Sat Oct. 20 TBD TBS Game Matchup Day Date Time ET TV Gm 1 CLE @ BOS Fri Oct. 12 7 pm FOX Gm 2 CLE @ BOS Sat Oct. 13 8 pm FOX Gm 3 BOS @ CLE Mon Oct. 15 7 pm FOX Gm 4 BOS @ CLE Tue Oct. 16 8 pm FOX Gm 5* BOS @ CLE Thu Oct. 18 8 pm FOX Gm 6* CLE @ BOS Sat Oct. 20 TBD FOX Gm 7* CLE @ BOS Sun Oct. 21 TBD FOX * - if necessary

Have the Rockies even appeared on Fox at all this year?

I am watching this game unbiased and me speaking the truth about the call is not complaining. Truth or not (and Lofton was safe), some guys get so adamant about it. I usually take close calls in stride. And it's really hard to get a close baserunning play and it's not something you can really apply instant replay to.

What is it about Yankee fans complaining about umpires?

I grew up on full hours of squash matches. Raw and Nitro spoiled modern fans.

It's been years since I've been on AIM. How do I do this? IM me (alkeiper) and I'll send you an invite.

Why not use the TSM chat? The big reason was that it didn't log everything from start to finish. It's also clunkier. I've had a few posters express a preference for the AIM format.

We haven't done a chat yet this postseason. Let's run one this evening. Invite yourself to "TSMBaseball" on AIM.

There's a part of me that hopes it means an earlier start. Well, all of me hopes that.

The problem isn't that they're on the same night, it's that they're both IN Denver. Taco Bell is giving out free tacos if any player steals a base in the World Series. Hardly seems worth the trouble.

This came down the pike a few hours ago. Joe Torre rejected a contract offer for the Yankees' managerial job into next season. The deal would have paid Joe Torre $5 million for 2008. If the Yankees made the playoffs a $1 million bonus would be paid, with another million for a divisional series win and a third million for a league championship series win. Making the World Series would have vested an option for 2009. Joe Torre rejected the offer. First off, Torre made $7.5 million this year. Guaranteeing him $5 million and giving him a $500,000 raise ONLY if the Yankees made the World Series has got to be a slap in the face. There was no way he was going to take the offer, so the thought comes to mind that Yankee brass wanted Torre gone, and intentionally low balled him. Second, this news is quite encouraging as a non-Yankees fan. A few points. -This takes away a proven manager from the Yankees who has successfully dealt with the superstars and with early-season slumps. It also eliminates the potential loyalty factor from the free agent signing period. -It indicates new Yankee ownership (Steinbrenner's sons) suck at public relations. The Yankees before their last dynasty were a laughingstock in the baseball world. -It also gives the impression that the Yankee brass believes that failure results simply from not trying hard enough. Pay these guys and they'll succeed! Never mind that part of the problem is simply that you have competition. The Cleveland Indians won 96 games. If you think you're supposed to beat those guys because you're the f'n Yankees, you have a big slice of humble pie coming to you. -Had this incentive existed, can you imagine the panicky manager in the playoffs literally throwing his team with a million dollars at stake on a win? "Joba's gotta throw four innings here, I have a condo payment to make!" Hey Yankees, want to make the World Series? Build a good team and pray. Try building a pitching staff. Build a team that is legitimately the best in the league before you start crying about how you lost again in the playoffs. The Yankees were at best the third best team in the league. They lost to the first or second best. Winning is not an entitlement. I hope someday the Yankees lose 100 games. You think losing a division series is losing. You haven't touched losing yet.